Redskins hire company to fight infections

ASHBURN, Va. -- Concerned about a potentially dangerous
infection that hit five players the past two seasons, the
Washington Redskins hired a company to treat their practice
facility with a spray that controls the growth of bacteria and
mold.

New carpeting and a fresh coat of paint were applied to the
locker room, weight room, training room and other areas at Redskins
Park ahead of last week's spraying, an effort to prevent the spread
of MRSA, a form of staph infection that's resistant to many
antibiotics.

"I liked the idea. I liked the science behind it," Redskins
trainer Bubba Tyer said Wednesday. "That's just part of the way
you prevent this disease from spreading."

Other preventive measures adopted by the Redskins included
removing benches in the locker room and replacing them with
individual wooden stools for each player, and taking out a
15-year-old whirlpool bath and adding a new filtering system for
the substitute.

MRSA is passed person-to-person via skin contact; it's not a
bacteria that floats in the air. It can be fatal.

"It's a terrible infection," Tyer said. "It can cripple your
team."

Three Redskins players contracted MRSA infections last season,
the worst case being that of defensive tackle Brandon Noble.

Tyer has spoken to other NFL trainers about MRSA, and, he said,
"We're all concerned."

The Redskins are the first NFL team to use this particular
spray, which costs about $1.50 per square foot. Other teams used
other methods to deal with the problem: The St. Louis Rams, for
example, bleached and sterilized every training table, sauna and
surface. The antimicrobial system used by the Redskins also has
been used for Virginia Tech's football and wrestling teams.

"We're in conversations with at least 10 other NFL teams and
about 50" college programs, said Wendy Orthman, a spokeswoman for
Coatings Specialist Group, which applied the spray.